December and January are the most dangerous months for electrical fires. Fire deaths are highest in winter months which call for more indoor activities and increases in lighting, heating, and appliance use. Many of these electrical fires (both residential and commercial) can be traced to overloading electrical outlets and/or defective appliances (or other devices) plugged into electrical outlets as circuit breakers do not trip when excessive amounts of energy flow through electrical cords.
Fires arising from electrical cords are devastating to families as well as businesses as the supply of electricity is cut off by the fire or turned off by emergency personnel, such as the fire department, when responding to the fire. The loss of electricity in the vicinity results in other homes and businesses also losing electricity. When businesses lose electricity they have to shut down and as a result, income to not only the businesses but the employees of the businesses is lost.
Another cause of electrical fires is the explosion of electronic parts, such as integrated circuits (IC), transistors, resistors and capacitors, in small electronic gadgets and household appliances due to electronics fatigue or circuit deficiency. The damage caused by the explosion of electronic parts can trigger residential fires resulting in lives and properties being affected.
One way to reduce the damage caused by electrical fires is to interrupt the flow of electricity or to shut off the source of energy or power to the household appliances, power outlets and lines, or other devices, before a fire starts. However, if no one is around, the power source cannot be shut off or interrupted. Although devices like circuit breakers, ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCI) and surge protector exists, they do not shutoff the power source immediately before the fires start and as a result, fires are allowed to not only start but to proliferate causing significant amounts of damage. For example, it is not uncommon for a fire, within minutes of bursting into flames, to consume the contents, walls and ceiling of the room where the fire started. Furthermore, the combination of heat, smoke and carbon monoxide can kill everyone in the area.
Consequently, a systems and methods for automatically re-routing power upon the occurrence of an overloaded circuit or a short circuit is needed.